FA Cup Second Round | Charlton 2 Stockport County 2
Stockport County scored in the last minute of stoppage time to draw 2-2 with the Addicks at The Valley and force a replay.
The in-form League Two side took an early lead but the Addicks were able to wrestle back control with two good goals. The first was an own goal after an excellent run by Steven Sessegnon and the second had two real bits of quality from passer George Dobson and goalscorer Albie Morgan.
County’s late goal, from the head of substitute Myles Hippolyte, came from a controversial corner that was given despite it looking as though goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer had kept the ball in play.
The result means both sides will be in Monday evening’s third round draw.
Ben Garner made two changes from last weekend’s game, with Chuks Aneke replacing the suspended Jayden Stockley for his first start of the season and Albie Morgan replacing Corey Blackett-Taylor as Charlton moved to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The Addicks had the first shot at goal in the second minute when Aneke and Jes Rak-Sakyi linked up well to release Charlie Kirk. The winger’s shot was straight at goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe.
The visitors took the lead in the third minute when Chris Hussey’s dangerous cross sailed all the way across the box and into the net.
Charlton responded and Morgan’s whipped shot in the 18th minute went just past the post while Rak-Sakyi’s header from a deep cross from Kirk was straight at Hinchcliffe.
Charlton levelled in bizarre fashion in the 23rd minute – Sessegnon did brilliantly to get to the byline and his cross across the goal bounced off goalkeeper Hinchcliffe and into the net.
Morgan gave Charlton the lead with an excellent goal. An inch-perfect ball from Dobson, from just inside the Stockport half, found Morgan who controlled brilliantly and lobbed Hinchcliffe. While the goalkeeper got a fingertip to the ball, it wasn’t enough to keep out the shot.
Maynard-Brewer did well to keep out a shot from Ryan Croasdale in stoppage time in the first half – diving low to his right to palm away the opposition captain’s driven shot.
Charlton created chances in the second half with the best falling to substitute Blackett-Taylor, who sped away from the Stockport defenders to latch on to a Scott Fraser through ball. The winger’s curled effort was agonisingly close, bouncing off the far post and away to safety.
Morgan was denied a wonder goal from 45 yards in stoppage time as Hinchliffe just got back in time to tip the long-range effort over his crossbar.
Stockport levelled in the last minute of stoppage time, when Hippolyte was first to a Marcus Southam-Hales corner and flicked a near-post header into the Charlton net.
Charlton: Maynard-Brewer; Clare, Lavelle, Inniss, Sessegnon (Chin 63); Morgan, Dobson, Fraser; Rak-Sakyi (Jaiyesimi 85), Aneke (Blackett-Taylor 67), Kirk (Campbell 85)
Subs (not used): Harness, Mitchell, Henry, Payne, Kanu
Goals: Hinchcliffe (own goal) 23, Morgan 39
Assists: Sessegnon 23, Dobson 39
Booked: Kirk 7 (foul on Hinchcliffe)
Stockport County: Hinchcliffe, Southern-Hales, Wright, Camps (Hippolyte 64), Crankshaw, Collar, Rydel (MacDonald 81), Croasdale (c), Wootton, Hussey (Horsfall 46), Lewis (Madden 64)
Subs (not used): Jones, Evans, Okwute, Johnson, Partington
Goals: Hussey 3, Hippolyte 90+7
Assist: Southam-Hales 90+7
Booked: Southam-Hales 52 (foul on Kirk), Horsfall 70 (foul on Rak-Sakyi)
Referee: Lee Swabey
Attendance: 3,889 (925 from Stockport)